Page 116 of Queen of Spades

“Indeed, it is,” Ranger says. “As it turns out, the swap is actually set for three hours from now. Our teams have confirmed Lucien is still inside the compound, and the majority of his manpower is at the warehouse, waiting to massacre us on sight.”

Grady laughs. “You sneaky bastard. I love it.”

“He never intended to make the trade?” I ask, and as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize how ridiculous they sound.

“I truly believe he wants Kate back, but murdering us is his major directive. This way, we head in first, cull the herd a bit, and Sparrow can show up fashionably late and still participate. We’ll just be lowering the risks. That’s all.”

Shit.

The last thing I want to do is keep secrets, but we’re already here. “So, they are coming here eventually?”

“Once I give Merrick the signal, he’ll begin giving them accurate directions,” Ranger says. “But I need your word that you will uphold the facts. This is a last-minute change none of us could have seen coming. We found out en route that Lucien never left his compound, and as such, we redirected here.”

My head shakes. “I’m not about to lie to my omega. We have a fucking bond, Ranger.”

Grady’s hand flies up, slapping the shit out of my chest as I idle the vehicle in the middle of the road. “I’m so fucking proud of you. I wish Anni could have heard you just now. It’s fine. We tell her the truth. We had no idea what was happening until we were already here.”

I nod.

She might still be pissed, but she can direct that anger where it belongs.

Right at her brother.

“The snipers have taken their first shots,” Ranger says, dropping his phone in the cup holder. “Unless we plan to wait here for Lucien to try to run, I suggest we get moving.”

“I’m switching the three of you to the response team channel,” Merrick says in my earpiece. “Good luck.”

“My omega better not blame me for your scheming,” I growl, hitting the gas.

Ranger chuckles. “This should be fun.”

The gate opens as I barrel toward it, but I’m not shocked.

Merrick can hack anything with an internet connection. The main problem is that we’re on the outskirts of Boston. It’s not going to be easy getting in and out without being noticed.

We’re all in tactical gear, but I yank my mask down over my face as I slam the SUV into park. It’s another method for us to tell who’s on our team.

“I’m guessing everything you told us to expect at the warehouse is actually the plan for here?” I ask, tightening the straps on my gloves.

“Yes.” Ranger tosses open the passenger door. “Don’t die. It would be agony for my sister.” He climbs out, and the door slams behind him.

Grady chuckles. “You can really feel the sibling love sometimes.”

Well, at least I know there are two teams of snipers watching our asses right now. And if we came in from the south, then there’s a team breaching the back of the property from the north. The same is true if we came in from the west. Eventually, we’ll meet in the middle, hence the need for a way to tell friend from foe.

We’re all in full stealth mode, with silencers on every weapon, but the same will likely not be true for the bad guys. The faster we slaughter them, the quieter this will be.

I toss open my door and prepare to wipe away any remnants of the Andretti family empire.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I hiss, flattening my back against the wall as two ninety-pound German Shepherds growl and snarl, sprinting past us.

“Yeah.” Grady laughs, watching them take two of Andretti’s guys to the ground. “Maybe we should get Anni a puppy or two. They’re a formidable team.”

“Thanks,” Maverick says, jogging past as he follows the dogs.

“They’re so overstimulated, they haven’t hit on the omega’s scent.” Maverick’s partner, Gunner, strides toward the screaming men pinned under the massive canines. He grabs his gun from the holster around his thigh and puts a bullet in the brain of one of the men. Neither animal misses a beat.

My head tilts. “I like dogs.”

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